Of Men & Monsters
by HiddenWolfx
Summary: The Louisiana backwoods were supposed to be an escape from the troubles of life, or so she thought. It isn't until she finds what she thinks will be the discovery of a life time lying right in the middle of the road, beaten and bruised. Fate truly has a funny way of coming around and changing the lives of two strangers.
1. Learn to drive

A golden ray appeared through an aperture in the early morning haze, setting forth a heavy mist across the marshy lands this girl called home. It was barely five in the morning and a girl no older than twenty-one found herself on the windy unpaved back roads of Louisiana. They stretched across the expansive flat badlands and murky swamps for miles on end. In these backwoods lived all sorts of critters - ranging from legendary man eating gators to long stork-legged birds. Louisiana boondocks hid all sorts of things, including a rather small community hidden away in the bog. Behind the swampland trees and knee high cat-tails lay a small colony of trailers seemingly forgotten to the outside world. It was peaceful and quiet, the perfect environment she craved. Even if her eyes begged to close and her body nearly collapsed in on itself she wore a very weak smile. Oh, these Louisiana woodlands were ugly, they were dreary and even quite forlorn in the dimness of the morning - it was still a place to call home. Far from the dredges of modern society, pointless drama and ignorant superficial tramps to call her out. A long way from anything she could call a paradise, it was paradise enough to give her a rest from the things that plagued her for years. In these woods she could further her studies without distractions, concentrate on straightening her life and having a future with her boyfriend.

Inside her old, slightly dented 1995 volvo, a personal favorite of Ella's rang through the car. It was a hard song to come by and even though it was sung by a fairly popular song artist, it was still pretty unnoted song by many people. A low humming buzzed from deep within her throat until the song began to build up and up until it was at her favorite part. Despite being sleepy, she started to sing out in a sprightly voice. With every word that the artist spouted from the radio, Ella followed right behind with a few missed keys and vowels. Finally the song built up to the end and Ella shouted out in the uproar of music and static coming from the radio **_'It's only love, not a timebomb!'_**

Reality seemed to smack her in the face upon her getting pre-occupied with her own singing. Her volvo started skidding upon some loose gravel. She let out a faint yelp of shock as the car continued to skid along the mud and water until she came to a complete stop. It was a wonder how she had even managed to get a license in the first place. Growing up amongst Ella's family wasn't meant to encourage anyone. It felt more like a punishment than anything half the time. She could remember clearly all the times her father and years afterwards, how her stepfather had both put down her timid nature and worry about driving. And when she had finally acquired the license after a few attempts at the written test and the actual driving test, she couldn't have been any prouder. But now all she could hear was that disapproving voice and the flurry of mockery he would throw at her. _'They should revoke your license!'_ or the famous _'And this is why women shouldn't be allowed to drive!'_

Right after the near hit and miss swerving, Ella regained what composure she could muster through her flustered self and continued to slowly drive down the road. Thankfully it was a desolate street or she would've run down a few pedestrians by now and maybe even smashed into some motorists. Not that that was her goal, but the unstable dirt roads with their uneven spots and many pot holes was a time and a half to drive. But she carried on for another two miles without incident before she finally passed her two neighbors trailers. The one to the left sat on the edge closest to the wilderness, just next to a bayou stock piled with as many alligators as you could ever want to find. Snakes, gators, turtles, bugs, birds and even small mud crabs ran amuck during this season - the rainy season to be specific. Most of the road was covered by last nights down pour, causing a great deal of hydroplaning as she drove home.

The car shifted on her so many time she felt like there was an earthquake happening. With these roads so untraveled by the public, the local county barely took responsibility for the horrible condition the road was in. It was a dirt road like most in the backwoods, but this one was particularly trecherous. You could count several pot holes that you didn't need to look to hard for. It took patience and composure to drive on this kind of unsteady path. She didn't mind it as much when it was dry but after all the recent flooding and heavy showers, it made the whole swamp into a slushy mixture of sludge and whatever else the swamp had to offer. Her eyes grew heavier as the seconds rolled by. They were about to shut for good when she suddenly saw a strange thing walking across the street. It's hands holding it's abnormal looking skull. It took only a second for her to smack into it and send it flying across the street, unconscious and unmoving. The car hydroplaned again and this time she lost all control. Swerving into a steep ditch filled with weeds, mud and muck.

She managed to get the car door open, trudge through almost knee deep mud and find the barely visible drive once more. However she wasn't concerned with the car at the moment, she could always call a towing company to help get it out. No, she was focused on the strange looking creature that was walking on two feet across the road. Whatever it was, now it was unconscious and lay sprawled across with it's limbs contorted and long tail curled around itself.

Her eyes went wide in a mixture of horror and excitement upon seeing what it was. Spread out in front of her like a display was a beast unlike any she'd ever seen before. In was a twelve foot long gecko like reptile with four, no six, no - eight! Eight limbs! The intricate shades of violets and blues of the scales shown brilliantly in the morning sunlight even if cover by dried mud, bruises and speckles of blood. It's head was unnaturally flat and had three long fronds atop it's head. The creatures mouth hung open just enough for her to notice rows of sharp teeth and a black snake tongue. It thankfully wasn't dead as it breathed hoarsely, its also chest rising and falling slowly.

**"Oh my god!"** She stifled a laugh as she circled it with wide eyes eagerly tracing its alien features. **"Oh my god... oh my god." **

Ella had always been the weird girl in class throughout elementary, middle school and even high school. Always trying to prove the existence of aliens, disproving false claims when it came to bigfoot and the abominable snowman, watching documentaries on the supposed proof of the chupacabra and seeing how they simply tried to debunk it as a coyote with a bad case of mange. People were afraid of the unknown and they always tried to prove that it was something plausible and within their understanding. Because the unknown scared them. But Ella treated the unknown differently. She was as scared as they were but there was always an interest in the unknown. What was out there was truly the most interesting part. And now here was an example of the unknown. This creature, a feasible extra-terrestrial or Government test subject, escaped and gone horribly wrong. Maybe it was something like the infamous Montauk Monsters or those other unexplained creatures that turned up dead on the shores of random places. But there was a difference between those monsters and her monster - this one was alive.

She couldn't just let this opportunity slip up. This was a once in a life time happening that she wouldn't just let run off. Her life could change forever with this discovery. She carefully grabbed the creatures two arms and dragged it to the steps of her house. It took some careful maneuvering and a lot of furniture rearranging to actually get it through the living room and into the bathroom. Once in the spacious bathroom, probably one of the bigger rooms in the trailer. She placed him in the tub and got a wash cloth and a some peroxide. The creature didn't fidget but she was still worried about it attacking her.

After cleaning up the large bruises and bumps on the things head and throwing the bloody rag to the side, she placed another clean rag soaked in a mixture of warm water and another form of antiseptic and let it soak on the still fresh wounds. Ella wondered where it had gotten such large welts on it's head.

_'Probably from someone attack the poor thing with a blunt object.' _She thought to herself. Binding all eight of the creatures hands with silver duck tape. Going over the first layer of tape twice more before reassuring herself that even if the thing broke from her home-made cuffs. It couldn't be able to escape from the bathroom because there were no windows big enough for it to slid it's rather lithe body through.

Ella spent the rest of the night outside of the bathroom door, guarding her prized monster in there until it finally roused from it's slumber. But Ella didn't get the chance before she too fell into a land of dreams and well earned rest.


	2. Tied and bound

The sun had climbed to the highest point in the sky and was now starting to descend from its pinnacle as a cluster of ominous gray clouds approached from the south. Blasts of strong winds shook the trees down to their firmly placed roots. The whole swamp trembled as torrid drafts blew in from the east and a deluge of rain slammed into the side of the trailer. Beating against the windows and the metal siding of the trailer like thousands of miniature war drums all at once. Following the rainfall was that unmistakeable sound that rattled the home like an earthquake. The storm let out a ferocious growl that shot through the sky . Like a faithful companion, the lightning licked at the thunders heels. Striking the ground in the distance with severity, lashing out all at once. Streaks whirled across in all directions and another rumble of thunder so loud that it did literally shake the ground. Rousing the sleeping girl from an uncomfortable slumber.

Ella blinked around wearily, her eyes transfixed on the window as lights flashed from beyond it. By her side resting its head in her lap and shivering uncontrollably was her best friend and newest member of the family, Akira, a two month old mixed german shepherd pup. At first Akira was just staying with Noella for a few weeks as she played foster mother. And as life would've had it no other way, they grew attached and Akira was adopted by Noella. Despite all of her cuteness and constant affection though, there was something about Akira - she is deathly afraid of storms. And it wasn't hard to tell when she was freaked out. But so long as Ella was there, she was fine. But then..

A crackle of lightning bathed the house over in bright white and then everything went black.

A power outage.

**"Great." **Exclaimed the girl to herself as she watched her dog cry out in fear. Akira retreated to the safety of the old beige couch and crouched beneath the old crotchet comforters and torn pillows. If on any other occasion she would've scooped up the pup in her arms and cradled her much like a mother would a baby. Although this wasn't any ordinary day and little did she know - it would be the last ordinary day she would have.

.

_There he was in all of his smug glory, beaming that famous cheshire cat grin with those pointy teeth of his. The monster climbed the stairs to the podium he was to speak at. To his right, an enormous roped off area with hundreds, if not thousands of monsters snapping photos with their cameras and holding up 'We love you Randall!' signs and posters. Placing a hand to shield his eyes from the troublesome rays of sun, he peered even further into the crowd. He spotted two old co-workers of his who looked his way. Wazowski waved his hands frantically while on top of Sullivan's shoulders holding a sign that read 'You were always the top scarer!' _

_Randall was nearly radiating from the pride he felt swell within his chest. __The plan with Waternoose had worked after all, much to his complete surprise at first. Their first victim, Boo, as Sullivan had dubbed the human, had tragically died of suffocation from their first test. But after disposing of the human properly and toning down the extremity of the machine, they kidnapped a few more human children. This time they had successfully gotten all the screams they needed. They returned the children back to their beds before day break, leaving them quite traumatized by the end of the experience. Some of them put it off as a horrifically real nightmare while others needed psychological therapy, speaking of a giant spider like creature and a scream machine._

_"It was for the good of the company." As Waternoose had put it in the beginning. Randall, whom had turned quite ruthless and cunning over his older teenage and adult years, still had a sympathetic side even if it never showed. Boo was his victim and her death was his responsibility. For that he promised to never harm an innocent like that again. But even with his newly found conscience Waternoose firmly placed his foot down and said enough with that. "It was for the good of the company." _

_'It was for the good of the company.'_

_The good of the company._

_Randall finally found his way to his destination and straightened himself out platform. Looking at all these adoring monsters made him forget the tragedies and sacrifices they had to make along the way. Sometimes bad things had to happen to a small majority in order for good to come along to the majority, as he thought so. _

_The fame was also a nice perk to come along with it. He and Waternoose couldn't even remember how many interviews and photo shootings they had to attend the first month the scream machine was announced. All he knew is that he was on every magazine from ranging from Monster, The Scrutinizer, The Monstropler, BOO Magazine and Screamers Daily. He even made it as Monstropolis's most eligible bachelor. _

_That broad smile of his only became larger as he stood there, speechless. He had dreamt of this moment his entire life. He was the top scarer who held the world record with numbers at an astonishing 150,000! Every women, from young to old in Monstropolis wanted him, and he had helped to create a machine that revolutionized the scream industry for years to come. He always wanted to do something good for the world and he had done it. He'd proved the relentless bullies of his school years and his unambitious teachers that always told him 'You'll never be a real scarer.. You're not scary.' or 'You'll never be anything worthwhile.' He proved those bastards wrong! __  
_

_As he snapped back into reality, Waternoose exchanged with him a knowing glance and introduced him to the crowd. As Randall went to move his hand and wave to the lot of people, he froze. His hands suddenly couldn't move and he felt as if something were holding him down. The monster fell to the floor, his legs now bound by an unknown force. He writhed and squirmed helplessly, shouting out to Waternoose and the many guards to help him out but they just stood there. _

_Suddenly the ground opened up and everything he could've ever wanted turned into an ashen gray and disappeared from sight. He screamed and flailed in the openness, knowing he was free falling from somewhere. Randall couldn't spot anything in the cloak of darkness. No ground, no floor, no light and his legs were still restrained. Then out of no where a pointed pit manifested itself and Randall cried bloody mercy. He begged not to die and right before the jagged peaks could stab through him.._

His pair of emerald green reptilian eyes sprang open, his mind reeling. The dream he'd had was so vivid, so real, he was still thinking he was about to die. Then, as Randall's eyes grew acquainted to the darkness, unfamiliar objects grew in the gloom of where ever he lay. He panted heavily and broke out into a sweat, he recoiled and tried to move but was unable to. He could feel the cold touch of something hard and yet smooth against his scales, sending a chill down his spine. He came to find out that all eight of his hands were restrained. Memories of earlier came rushing back into his mind, how he'd been banished by Sullivan and Wazowski, he remembered the redneck lady and her hillbilly son bashing him in the head with a blunt object. And he even remembered nearly being run over by a car as he made his escape from those uncivilized humans. Mistaking him for one of those brainless, flat headed things they called gators.

Randall was pissed off and in pain. Two things that should never have been put together when it came to Boggs. The monster used his long tail to give him leverage, contorting his bound limbs just enough so his three pairs were on the ground. He pushed off the ground and hurtled himself over the wall of what he assumed was a tub and onto the floor. In the dimness of the tiny room, he look for something sharp. That's when he saw the pointed handle for a small cupboard. He pushed himself towards it and placed his first pair of hands onto it.

Pulling and ripping away at the tape as he started to force his hands down, making tiny holes in the bindings. It was loose enough now for one of his palms to slide through, giving him just what he needed to free himself. Within minutes he was freed and could now move as he liked too. The first thing he made it for was the little slit of a window just above the tub. Like a snake, he slithered up the wall swiftly and looked out. If just a few inches bigger he could've squeezed through and escaped from here.

Without warning, the door to the bathroom slowly creaked open. Randall lost concentration and growled threateningly at whoever was coming his way. The person who appeared in the doorframe was unseeable in the shadows. But even from the lack of sight, he could tell from the shapely silhouette that it was indeed an adult human female. At her feet was some kind of weird growth that moved around. He grimaced at view until he came to realize that it was a dog huddling between her legs, tail tucked away in fear. A flash of lightning lit up the hallway and the bathroom, blowing his cover on the wall. The human had witnessed what he looked like and gasped in horror, backing away ever so slowly until she hit the wall. She pressed up against it unable to move or think, except stare into the darkness.

Randall summoned the last of the energy he had and lunged forward aggressively. He smacked into the girl and sent her flailing onto the ground. She screamed as he contorted her body where he was on top and she on the bottom. His second pair of hands held her arms back, his third and fourth pair held the rest of her lower body down while he used the first pair to support himself and draw the girls head back. His other hand clutching onto a clump full of hair. She whimpered in pain and let out another muffled scream.

**"Where am I!?"**

**A/N** - Thank you everyone for the reviews, follows and favorites (:


	3. Escape

_It_ just talked.

**He** just talked. It was a _he_.

The weight of the twelve foot long lizard crashing into her at full speed was nothing she could've steeled herself for. And as she bucked like an anxious horse trying to get it's rider off, he continued to growl and pull her hair harder. The words rolling off his snake tongue like acid, **"Answer me!" **He tightened the grip of his hands until the tips of her fingers dug into her skin, making her clench her teeth. Ella felt the heat of his breath brush against her neck and for a brief second she could just imagine those fangs of his ripping out her throat. **"How can you talk?!"** Her head was bent back as far as it could go now, Randall still clasping her limbs roughly. Her orange eyes finally met his intense green. Pupils down to mere slits, he growled another empty threat. **"Answer me now or I swear I'll-"**

**"You're in my home!"**

**"Did you bring me here!?"**

**"Y-yes..."**

**"For what? To beat me some more!?'**

**"No! No! I swear I didn't!"**

**"Then why am I here?!" **Randall didn't realize the pressure he was forcing down on her. Her skin was becoming bruised but he didn't lighten up. She was probably connected with those backwoods hicks!** "Let go of me! You're hurting me! I was only trying to help!" **Ella breathed in and began to scream, but it came out more like a raspy screech. The fronds on his head lay against his skull, his ears ringing with the obnoxious sound. Unbeknownst to Randall, he'd released her hair to cover her mouth. Ella scowled, drew in a breath of air and smashed the back of her head into his jaw. It hurt her skull and even winded her briefly but she took advantage of the pause and yanked herself from the monster. Throwing herself forward and shuffling awkwardly across the carpet. She was able to reach the end table and grab a knickknack that was placed there.

Randall was after her and in seconds was at her feet. Taking a blind shot in the dark, Ella hurtled the knickknack into the shadows, knowing it should have hit something. Her fear grew when she discovered it had done nothing but smash against the wall, scattering shards of glass every where. The reptile climbed onto her as she kicked and shouted. His eight pairs held her down once more but he didn't dispute this time. The top pair went right for her throat. He was going to strangle her.

His hands grabbed her throat and left her without any air. In the heat of the moment, she thrust her own arms up at him in an attempt to get him off. Randall easily withstood her measily hits and could feel her body growing limp. Ella felt her lungs collapse in on themselves as she drew the last of her precious breaths. She used the last of her strength to tear away his hands but the world went black before she managed.

...

He strangled someone, possibly killing them. But what was he to do?! Let this human beat him into submission as well. She was a human. She didn't want to help him. She would've put him in his grave first before she would've ever helped him. A monster, and a killer.

Randall barrelled out the door and into the typhoon like storm. Tiny beads of rain pelted hard against his scales as he sprinted away. The muddy ground was nothing more than a blur under his feet as he felt a surge of adrenaline. The steady thump of his feet in the mud puddles was barely audible through the howling wind. Hasty instants went by and inside he felt elated as he felt the sting of the rain, the cold bellows air and even the crackles of lightning.

He was running and he was_ free_.

The invigorating rush of wind that smacked him in the face thrilled him. Randall Boggs, was a free monster in an alien world.

But the placid serenity couldn't last for long.

The only thing holding him back from going any faster was his physical condition. And it was really getting him. His legs ached and just craved a soft chair or stool to kick them up on. A foot massage wouldn't hurt either. But Randall knew better than to stop now, despite being beaten upside the head, and kidnapped and almost killed for the second time in a row in one day - or what he assumed was still a day. He really had no idea how long he was out. Even as undeterred as he was, he still fleeted forward with the spirit and energy he held back in his college days at MU.

As a few feet, turned into yards and yards turned into miles, Randall beat the odds and finally made it to the edge of the swamp. He crept silently along a dark treeline that followed deathly close to open boundaries where he could be visibly seen. Just down the way was a truck stop with plenty of vehicles. From fancy convertibles to beaten up cars that should've been taken to the scrapper years ago.

He slinked around tree roots, ditches, old tires and random scraps of metal until he sat on the border between the woods and the parking lot. In the darkest corner sat an old lime green pick up truck with a black tarp draped over the back. The driver of the car didn't seem to realize the back of his truck tossing from side to side as Randall curiously invested whatever lie underneath of it. He saw a pile of wood and on the other side lay two tires stacked on top of each other. The lizard couldn't walk all the way to civilization and whether this human realized it or not, he would be his escort. After rearranged things into an inelegant nest of sorts, he twisted his flexible body and rested his head on his hands. Randall was tired and didn't care where he was going. Just as long as he could sleep.

**A/N** - Randall, where are you going!?

Short chapter is short. The next one will be longer :p


	4. On the road again

_Pulsing, pulsing. _Ella could almost feel her own heartbeat, drumming so loudly it felt as if her head was about to explode. Three hours had slowly passed by without any more strange instances. Three hours of this constant migraine and a sore neck. She pulled up the leg of her jeans to inspect what damage he had done. If it looked as bad as it hurt, she shuttered at the thought of what real afflictions he could deal if really angry. Upon analyzing she spotted those alien hand prints embedded into her skin by the fresh bruises. The bruises were a multitude of colors that weren't normally present on a persons skin. Thankfully the creature had no nails or there would've been deep gashes in her flesh. The skin hurt at the touch and Ella did nothing strenuous. She just sat herself on the couch, contemplating what had just gone down.

How could she have been so stupid as to let some mutated swamp lizard into her house!? Did she really think that she could save the world and every creature within it? Whatever that thing was, it had physically attacked her and had known how to strangle someone into unconsciousness, while not fatally killing them. And the most surprising part of it was this so called monster could talk! Not just babble out a few words like someone's well trained pet parrot. But form complete sentences and speak fluent english. What kind of animal could do something like that? Ella knew he wasn't an animal and he couldn't have been some sentient sub-species of an unfound reptilian race. This wasn't something she could easily deduce herself.. she needed professional assistance. She needed - the internet.

It took a second to find her cell phone on the end table and a few more pauses to adjust herself to the light of the screen as it acted like a spotlight in the dark room. She thumbed the screen impatiently, putting in her security code and then tapping repeatedly until the internet browser decided to work. Ella could barely type as fast as she usually could considering the nausea she felt that increased every second she looked at the screen.

Remember the old saying _'Curiosity killed the cat?'_ well curiosity didn't kill the cat. It made this cat sick.

Now onto the Google homepage she wrote down various descriptions of the thing she had found on the street. But every search she put in always lead her to dead ends if they even had a lead at all. Most of the searches through both the general search and image search led her to crack-pot conspiracy sites filled with poorly rendered photoshop images of giant purple geckos and chameleons or more false claims. It wasn't until she changed the word creature to monster that she began to finally started her search. It was alittle over thirty minutes into the investigation that an interesting image popped up in the image search. The photo showed a crumbled up drawing done either by a young child or a very untalented artist. It showed a monster with eight limbs poking out of the left side, the face was oval shaped with sharp pointy teeth and two pairs of green eyes. The outline was colored in violet and the inside was a mixture of blue and purple scribbles. This was her monster! She clicked on a link back option that appeared and it connected her to a popular blogging site called tumblr. It took another while to locate the group in which the photos was actually uploaded to.

Ella managed to find a noticeably popular group amongst young teenagers and young adults dubbed #MBelievers. The page description was vague and somewhat cryptic. _'They're real and you're not alone. Follow and share your personal stories.' _

She had struck internet gold right here! The picture from previously was the very first post at the start of this blog which now had accumulated more than 2,315 followers. The creator of the blog, username _BOO, _shared her story and this is what it had to say.

_'I made this blog for others out there so you know you're not only. Because I know I'm not the only. Only one of what? You might ask. The only believer in monsters. I know they're real and I used to be terrorized by one when I was little. And two of my best friends in the world were monsters. I haven't seen them in many years because they stopped coming. But I know they're still out there somewhere. I can remember the day I met those two. I remember everything so clearly. Strange.. I can't remember anything about my younger life but those two days I spent with them stuck with me forever. It seems like a big blur now that I try to think about it. But I remember their faces and the face of my monster. My personal monster. The monster pictured above is my monster. His name was Randall, that I remember. I'll upload pictures later of the two monsters I called my best friends.'_

_..._

Randall slowly returned from the depths of a deep and even refreshing sleep. Feeling returned to his toes, fingers, and finally his whole entire body. He grunted, rolling over and placing a hand on his aching back, massaging knotted spots that cried out in pain from the uncomfortable surface he laid. The monster felt like he had gone through a war or two. Never before had he been so pain upon waking up. It was times like this when he missed that ratty old mattress he called his bed. Atleast it wasn't this!_  
_

Awareness snapped back to him within moments of a stray rain drop tapping against his muzzle. He leaned forward, using his power of invisibility to blend in with his surrounding as he pulled back the black tarp. Blustery drafts of wind and a slight mist of water hit his face, making him wince in surprise. He realized that the car was no longer in motion or on a road for a matter. The old pickup was left alone in the rocky parking lot of some local bar. Time had obviously passed but he was unsure of how long he had actually laid there in the cab unconscious to the world. The rank smell of beer and salty chips hit him instantly as it wafted from an open door with a flashing neon red sign that read "Happy Hour!" Randall grumbled something incoherent to himself about drunk people and rednecks just as he was about to leave. But the opportunity slipped him up as the driver of the vehicle came stumbling out, smelling of strong boos and liqueur. Hanging onto his shoulder was a young scantily dressed young women no older than twenty-one, if she was even that. Both of them drunker than they probably realized. Back in his university days, Randall had seen enough situations like this one to know where it was going. And that most definitely was the last thing on his mind.

He grimaced to himself and crawled out of the cab with ease, throwing caution to the wind as he stumbled down some inactive country road lost in translation for about thirty minutes. Blood roared in his head as the intensity of the pressure he felt increased even more. His hands latched onto his skull as a rupture of pain shot through his skull like a bullet to the brain. His teeth grinded together as he stifled the urge to cry out in pain. Undoubtedly he had a severe concussion and he needed medicine for it. Without pain killers he might just die right here from the agony he felt. The monster disappeared in a cloud of dust as he couldn't take the pain anymore. He had to find a place with pills now! Mustering up the energy he'd gotten from resting, he darted down the street in desperation. One of the worst decisions he'd had made so far while in the human world was leaving that girl. Granted she was human but if he hadn't been so fast to react and promptly strangling her into unconsciousness, he might've just gotten a warm bed and some relief.

Finally a large green sign came into his view as he slowed down, swiftly turning his head just enough to catch whatever was printed upon it.

_'Welcome to Coffee Springs. Home to the World Famous **Bayou Jolie**!' _

Right below that read.

_'Population: 230'_

Just beyond the horizon sat this so called Coffee Springs and it's backwoods inhabitants. The place was a hop-skip and a jump, dead center was the Bayou Jolie and surrounding it sat many different houses, a coffee house, a grocery store, a general goods store and a single gas station from the 50's. The outskirts of the little town was an expansive swamp with one main road leading in and out. The other streets that connected with the main street were gravel and very unkept. _  
_

Randall took off full speed towards the general goods store and peered through their windows. Even though his sight was bad he could still somewhat tell where things were. To the left sat the medicine and a small vending machine full of beverages. A smile crawled to his face upon the discovery, much like a mischievous child finding what they sought. Now the only remaining problem was, how was he supposed to get in? The best option would have been to sneak in but Randall knew nothing about burglaries and had no former knowledge about pick locking a door. The second option and the only option left for him in this case was to pick up the largest, heaviest object he could find and hurl it at the window. And that is exactly what he did.

The glass shattered with a loud crash, splintering in all directions. He stealthily crawled around the broken glass and into the store. He looked in the pharmacy for the strongest medicines he could find that related to nausea and migraines. The two medicines he found most appealing was something called Relafan and a large bottle filled to the brim with Ibuprofens. With several other miscellaneous pain killers in tow, he grabbed two bottles of Pepsi from the vending machine, stored his stolen goods in a plastic bag and left the scene of the crime just as the locals were beginning to crowd around.

..

The following morning a local news crew planted itself outside of the local store. Nothing ever happened in Coffee Springs and the fact that someone had destroyed property and forcefully broke into the store was enough to send the news crew there. Ella was amongst the people that curiously stirred around the roped off area, anxious to hear more.


	5. A not so average day

Ella, quick and nimble like a deer, bounded across the carpet with long hasty strides, faltering, hurried steps colliding rhythmically. Her azure ponytail bobbing up and down, flying freely in the soft drafts of cool air from her fan. With each step she took, the click of her boots heel echoed off the wooden floors. She huffed out and pulled open the door impatiently, waving goodbye to Akira who sat on the couch, head cocked and tail thumping with a mixture of confusion and happiness. Ella climbed outside, shielding her eyes from the blaring sun rays. She grumbled under her breath as she watched the towing truck she'd called hours ago pull her piece of crap car out of the muck. Unconsciously, she rubbed the back of her neck and trailed it along her collar, placing her fingers on the areas still vaguely sore where she'd been strangled.

As the two men squabbled amongst the mud and reeds to get the vehicle out, Ella went to a place far off in her own mind. Until now it had been two whole days without hearing or seeing anything of that strange creature she'd brought into her home. Maybe it was smart enough to sucker someone else into taking care of it. But the thought of a giant talking eight-legged purple lizard simply walking up to some random stranger, in public no less, and asking for their help seemed very impractical and quite crazy. Just the thought of the masses shrieking and running in terror from that monster was enough to make a smirk crawl upon her lips. Deep inside she still wished that she could see it again, just to confirm some thoughts she would like to clear up.

Her booted foot tapped impatiently in a slushy mud puddle, her hand firmly placed on her hip, mouth curled downwards in an ardent frown. She gently chewed on the bottom of her lip and checked her wrist watch repeatedly. Performing this same pattern ritualistically for thirty minutes up until she heard a gruff voice choke out through a bunch of spluttered coughs. _'She's out!'_

She made her way over to them, examining the damage. She waved them off temporarily as she circled the filthy scrap of metal. A burly man with copper-toned hair and a stringy beard wandered over to join her. His fat fingers ran through his hair as he spoke, muttering out in his rugged, deep southern voice.

** "We managed t'pull yer car out. Ah doesn't believe thar's enny problems but as a precaushunary we'll be takin' it the' shop."**

Ella looked at him with wild orange eyes, staring at him in disbelief before exclaiming. **"To your shop! You mean I can't drive it yet!?"**

**"So'ry t'say but yessuh. Ah suggess findin' a friend t'git yo' from point a an' b fo' now."**

**"But I have to go to work, late afternoon. Can't I just hose it off just alittle?"**

**"Naw 'mam."**

**"Shit, damn, hell, mother fu- UGH!" **

**"Say, hyar's whut ah can does. Yo' kin hitch a ride wif us. How does thet soun'?"**

Defeated, Ella glanced up at him with a look that read _'Does it really look like I have a choice?'_ loud and clear.

The two men were nice enough to let her go with them but they were an Ella-sandwich during the whole ride. On the one side was the plump gentleman who felt he was obligated to help her out. He just couldn't deny the twinge of guilt he felt when looking deep into her fiery doe eyes. Besides how could he leave a pretty little doll all only in the big scary swamp with no where to go. To her left sat a weasily little man with what looked like a greasy old mop sitting on top of his head. It was of course his straggly hair that looked repulsive and like it hadn't been washed in weeks. He had the elongated face of a horse, sunken in eyes, high cheek bones and the grin of a 90 year old man with nothing more than a few stray teeth.

After exchanging awkward glances with each of the men for more than a whole ten minutes of mind numbing silence - she couldn't stand it anymore. Her hand swiftly made its way toward the radio. The plump man who drove gave the girl a curt nod and with a hopeful smile, she flicked through stations. Ella found nothing of her interest, much as she had expected.

**"Nothin' but static hun, hm?" **Piped the man in the passengers side with a bored tone.

**"Psh.. yeah. Just great, isn't it?"  
**

**"Tell me about it. This hyar stupid piece of shit nevah gits ennythin' fine."**

**"Yeah and with my luck, it's even worse. You know, I bet with my luck, if I bought a graveyard. Everyone would stop dying or some shit."** Said Ella, half smiling to herself, still playing with the knob like a child.

The larger man smirked and his partner chuckled lightly under his breath until suddenly a voice broke through the endless stream of static. **  
**

**"Hey, hey! The tides are turning! We might have something boys!"**

**"Ah hope it ain't one of them religious mumbo-jumbo channels!"**

She bent lower to listen in, straining her ears just to catch the faint and almost inaudible words.

_'Coffee Springs...break.. no suspects... police will be... investigation...later...video...'_

_..._

Time evaporated away into the dusky sunlight as they finally crept upon the tiny little hamlet known as Coffee Springs. All three passengers were abuzz in conversation over the somewhat cryptic words that were reported. None of them could bring themselves to believe that a serious crime happened here. In a town where everyone knew each other and the only decent gossip that floated around was of the local swinger, no one expected anything to go on. But their growing doubts became a reality as they each spotted several police cars from the neighboring town clustered in front of a general store. Ella desperately tried to eye up the scene but the crowd of people were in her way. She anxiously tugged at the sleeve of the driver, like a child trying to get their parents attention.

**"Um.. excuse me but right here's good. I can walk the rest of way."**

**"Alright. We'll take a look atchar car an' call yo' later t'let yo' knows th' damages."**

**"Eff'n thar is enny."** Piped the skinnier man.

They pull onto the side of the road, coming to a screeching hault just in front of a few old shops. His partner dragged himself out of the passengers side and promptly let Ella out, giving her a business card and a wide gummy grin. **"Call us later when yo' git a chance an' we'll set yo' up." **She nodded in response and after thanking them about four more times, they finally continued on their way.

Continuing up the street she curiously looked at the business card before she got there. It was small, pale yellow with a tow truck hauling the title of the company.

_'It Takes Two Towing-_

_We're you TOW service, not your HO service.'_ It read. Pictured at the bottom right were the two men from before, back to back with their arms crossed. Below them in small lettering was their first and last names. Robbie & Jack Adams

**"Hmm."** She muttered out in silence, shrugging off her experience and placing the card in her back pocket. Without warning, the intense smell of gasoline hit her nostrils, making her gag out loud in disgust. **"Whew.." **Her eyes went to look for the cause of the stench but only caught sight of nothing more than distressed people on their cell phones. No one even bothered to look in her general direction because all of their eyes were glued to the only interesting thing that had happened to this little town other than the great police chase of 1974. Many of the towns skeptics began pointing fingers at who they thought might have had the nerve to do something like this. But everyone almost simultaneously went quiet when two large vans pulled forward.

To her surprise it was the _WTTQ Channel 10_ news team. Once this small time news station got ahold of something like this it was like there time to shine and make media gold. Even if it was just a small time theft. Each of the camera men pressed to set up their cameras, get the microphones ready and of course, make sure the leading lady, their anchorwomen was ready to go live within less than 5 minutes. People, mainly men, began to flock towards the van in which the anchor women prepared herself. Time flew by and she stepped out into the light, shielding her eyes so that they could adjust.

To the whole town, she was what most of the women wanted to be. But for men, she was the source of their _'wet'_ dreams, so to say. Her name was Addison Summers, a delicate mousy looking girl with an unnaturally thin frame and long smooth legs. Accenting her natural brunette hair and olive-green eyes was a casual black business dress, knee length with creme colored stockings and pretty ebony pointed shoes. She walked over to the front of the scene, accompanied by the news crew and two police officers reading off any extra things she might want to announce on the news. She responded with a simple smile and wandered to the center.

Ella watched from the sidelines as they began shooting.

**"This is Addison Summers with WTTQ Channel 10 news, reporting from Coffee Springs, in front of Carol's Country Corner where there has been a recent break in. The estimated time the break in took place was around 2 am this morning. We managed to find the General Manager of the store, Mrs. Carol Stines. When questioned if the police were notified she responded with this.."** There was an instant pause in the brief speech. Most likely taking the time to show recorded footage from earlier. The cameraman signaled at her as she took in a deep breath and continued.

**"Stines had this to say about security measures being taken upon the property."**

Another pause.

**"The lack of security cameras has made it impossible to figure out anything about the suspect, as of yet. Only that, strangely enough, he or she managed to get away with over 100 dollars worth of various pills, creams and medicines before making their escape. No charges have been filed at this time, Belmont police will investigate the matter further and we'll have coverage for you on the 6 o'clock news. Reporting live from the scene, Addison with WTTQ news."**

With that the cameras were shut off and Addison breathed out a sigh of relief. Ella watched her head over to the camera man and start some idle conversation with him. She paid them no attention and disappeared into the crowd and started the not so long walk to her job at Bayou Jolie. A million question stirred in her mind like hundreds of angry hornets in a hive. Why would someone want to steal just pills and medicine? If they made the effort to break in, why not steal more? There must've been some kind of safe or cash registers with money. Maybe who ever broke was trying to create some new drug to sell and get high off of. Or they just really needed some pain relief. And that's when hit her smack in the face - pain relief. Ella felt it had to have been that monster. Whatever it was, it had to be that monster. She was well aware that it was aggressive and had intelligence that could very well rival a humans. Had it known to really known how to break in and enter a building and get what it needed in order to survive? Her mind reeled after that, even as she entered the establishment that she called a job.

A good way to describe Bayou Jolie on a busy day was a literal human zoo at feeding time. Ever wake of life would come through the door. Locals, tourists, passerby's, foreigners, and even low key celebrities. The restaurant itself was the home to some world famous cuisines, backwoods cooking and even had a bit of taboo-ish feel to it with some of it's decor and food. Alligator and crocodile were amongst the most popular meats and dishes people would order, following behind was the cajun chicken, shrimp and gumbo. It was furbished with furniture that mirrored that from years ago. Adorning the walls were some fake and authentic voodoo crafts and pieces. In the center of the restaurant in the middle of all the tables was a giant tank that stretched from the roof to the floor and inside sat all kind of creatures from the swamp. There were three other giant aquariums used only for show, one filled with baby gators, another filled with piranha and another with vibrantly colored tropical fish. Which was very mismatched in between the backwoods shanty feel and the voodoo embellishments.

Ella weaved through the crowd and pushed the back doors open. Gracefully skimming amidst the busy cooks, waitresses, managers, dish washers and so forth. It was like a river of people. Unscathed, she clocked in and got to work immediately. The first part of the day wasn't to bad. The rush of customers always kept her busy and on the run, which made the day go by quicker. Today she was rather eager for the news at 6 o'clock. It was usually the only thing on around that time and the time couldn't have gone any faster. Hell, it seemed to be creeping by slower today just to get on Ella's bad side. But she took it in stride and eventually quit looking at the clock, hoping to drown out her thoughts. Nonetheless, it was inevitable with the burglary as that was the only thing on people's tongues. It was interesting to hear some of the speculations and theories people had throw her way on who had done it, but nobody could convince her that it wasn't that monster.

Just as Ella had planned, her boss allowed her to take her thirty minute lunch break at exactly 6. After cleaning up after a group of fairly disgusting people who didn't even bother to tip, she settled down with a plate full of hot food. For her dinner she had ordered a chicken sandwich and dinner salad. She slowly munched away at it while waiting anxiously for the news to come on, hoping it wasn't another senseless re-run of the report from earlier today. After a whole bunch of incredibly long commercials, the news flipped on and for the first fifteen minutes there was nothing but general news from other cities and towns just a few miles away. After that the weatherman warned of a few more stray showers and then finally the report she had been waiting for came on. She became entranced for the whole three minutes it was on. Apparently someone had video taped it through their bedroom window using a iphone camcorder. Ella couldn't help but stifle a laugh as she thought about how ridiculous that was. Instead of calling the cops somebody recorded the happenings on their phone.

As the story went on she watched the television carefully, everyones else following her move. The video was only 9 seconds long and as usual very blurry but one thing that she noted was the strange silouette. This only fueled her theory even more when she caught glimpse of arms. She could only imagine the kind of media this was going to bring as soon as it was analyzed closer. Of course, people being as they would put as shadow play but she knew differently.

Ella finished her dinner with ten minutes to spare. She made her way to the trashcan to throw away her garbage but she saw it quite full and needed emptying. She collected up the sides and tied it together, throwing it over her back and carrying it to the dumpster out in the back. It was dark out now thanks to the threatening clouds in the distance. The stagnant hot air mingling with the garbage made it smell awful. Ella was eager to get back into the air conditioned building, tossing the garbage bag into the wide open dumpster. **"Dammit!" **Cried a voice in pain. She paused a few steps and turned to see what she had alarmed. It was probably that homeless dumpster diving, digging through their garbage again and digging for scraps.

She threw the lid back up and what she saw made her mouth fall open in surprise.

**"You!"** Randall and Ella said at the same time.


End file.
